Myths and Legends: Journeys Through Time

Santa Claus

“You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I’m telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town…”

December, the last and most favored month of the year. Although December usually

associated with cold, winter, ice and snow it’s also associated with one of the most

famous holiday of all. Christmas. Even more popular than Christmas is the figure that

represents Christmas. He’s jolly, big, wears red and white, has a snowy white beard,

glasses and a deep rumbling laugh. He is none other then Santa Claus. Santa Claus is

the one that in the late hours of Christmas Eve and the early hours of Christmas Day

goes around delivering presents to all the little girls and boys in the world. He lives in

the North Pole and his elves work year round in his toy work shop to make presents in

time for Christmas. Who exactly was Santa Claus though and how did he come to represent

the season of giving? The idea of Sata Claus is European in origin. In the Netherlands they

have Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas in Dutch) who comes to the Netherlands from Spain by

way of steamboat two weeks before his birthday which is on December 6th. He and

his helper Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) would disperse gifts to all of the good Dutch children.

They would go onshore at night and Sinterklaas clad in red, wearing a mitre with a golden

crosire and a long flowing snowy beard, had a list of all the good children to whom he would

leave gifts for. Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet would gather up all the bad children and take

them back to Spain. In Germany, Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas as Santa is better known, is

known by several names. Klaasburr, Sunnercula, Burklaas, Bullerklaas and Rukalas are all

German names for Saint Nichols. In Eastern Gemany he’s also known as Shaggy Goat, Ash Man

and Rider. These names reflect the Norse mythology into which Christianity was blended.

Normally Saint Nicholas comes around the 5th or 6th of December which is around his

birthday, however in more modern times he has been appearing around the 24th and 25th of

December and has been called Father Christmas more often. The French children know him

as Pere Noel which translates to Father Christmas. He travels with a helper named Pere

Fouettard who disciplines the bad children with a spanking while Pere Noel rewards the

good children with gifts. Santa Claus is one of those rare mythological figures that are

actually based on a real person. Saint Nicholas of Myra was born in 271 AD and actually

died on around December 6th in either 342 AD or 343 AD. How he came to be associated with

gift giving is an interesting story. Nicholas was born wealthy yet was a generous person.

After he became a priest, there was a girl in his parrish who’s parents were too poor to give

her a dowry. For her this meant that she would never be married so Nicholas took pity on

her and made up a bundle of money out of his own family money and donated it

anonymously to the young lady by throwing it through her window late one night. As the

story goes, the bundle of money landed in some stockings she had hung by the fireplace to

dry overnight. His acts of kindess like this became regular occurences and he became known

for late night gifting and for granting wishes. From these simple origins have risen a

wonderfully jolly and cheerful figure who’s always keeping an eye on children and coming

up with ways to reward them…or if they’re bad punish them. In America he’s known as Santa

Claus and the good kids get gifts while the bad kids…well sadly they get coal. Happy Holidays

and Blessed Be!!